Overview of Diabetes Stages
Over the last decades, scientists and health experts have tried to create general guidelines for different stages of diabetes. In general, this may vary based on the type of diabetes and certain other factors. Both patients and doctors should understand these stages to take more comprehensive measures to prevent the disease and manage symptoms effectively. In the next sections, we’ll show you how type 1 and type 2 diabetes are staged by current experts in diabetes research. [3]
Type 1 Diabetes Stages
Type 1 diabetes can be staged as follow:
– Pre-stage 1: A genetic test may help determine genotypes commonly linked to type 1 diabetes in this stage.
– Stage 1: At least 1 diabetes-associated autoantibody can be found in the blood. These autoantibodies have already started to attack the beta cells in pancreas. However, blood sugar is still in the normal range. There are no clear symptoms at this stage.
– Stage 2: At least 2 diabetes-associated autoantibodies can be found in the blood. Glucose intolerance may occur when the immune system attacks the beta cells and results in higher levels of blood sugar. There are no clear symptoms at this stage as well.
– Stage 3: Beta cells are significantly destroyed, which causes a few symptoms, such as unexpected weight loss, frequent urination, extreme tiredness, blurry vision, or excessive thirst or hunger. [4]
